The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-25

better try something else. There was
young woman in whom / was interested
some years ago. She had about an equal
amount of talent for writing and for draw
ing. She inclined to the pen, but disSuaded
her strongly and she took to the pencil.
She earns $50 week rs an illus rator now
and has two days in the week off at that.
Engraving and illustrating are fields less
crowded and Offering a better chance to
women than literature"
Are there any special disadvantages
from which women suffer in their workW
"A regular worker in an Office, yes. They
are less systematic, depend more on inspira-
ton than men. suppose there is certain
amount of copy that must be turned out
before 8 O'clock tomorrow morning; in
stead of sitting down at an office desk and
working steadily through office hours, fin
ishing the matter up and going home to II
good dinner and an evenings recreation, as
q man would, your woman must be in the
mood for it, and perhaps her mood won't
come on until night. Then she will begin
and work until o'clock in the morning.
Her work will be done on time, and | am
not saying that it won't be done as well as
the mans; it may be better, often is, but it
is done on impulse, and plays into the hands
of her second disadvantage, delicate health.
but are not women improving in physi-
cal strength"
''Very possibly; indeed l think So But
American women do not compare favorably
with European women in this respect yet.
They have headaches and backaches, and
all these things interfere with regularity, if
not with efficiency.
women make the acceptance of their
work a personal matter, too. They will
send you a story with letter, telling of six
small children one at the breast, as if that
made any possible difference in the merit or
availability of their work. A publisher
may be able tx, afford to accept an occa-
sional manuscript and pay for it as a per-
sonal matter or for friendships sake, but it
goes into a-pigeon-hole and never comes out
again, for the publisher amt afford to print
IL and lower the standard of the magazine.
IF you don't encourage women to try to
write what are they to do thenW
sit seems to me that there are more open
ing and better openings for women every
day. All that is wanted Is a resolution to
do well whatever one does at all, if it is
only the scrubbing of floor. Two ladies
came to me about work. / asked
them why they did not-till they could do
better at least-take places in shop They
said there were no places to be had. /
thought / would test that matter for my
self, so went into a big dry goods store and
asked the superintendent for employment
He told me chat he was overrun with appli-
cations. l said that | could speak five lam
guages 1uently and asked if that did not
make difference. 1t made great deal of
difference at once. He did not know who |
was, but could have work then and there,
with several dollars per week added to my
salary for every language | could talk to
customers in."
"Other women have not so many tongues
at their command
Eyes, but it is quite as apt to be the edu-
Gated women, the cultured women, who
have accomplishments that might be so
turned to account who are in search of
work. Girls who expect to work are
brought up to know how to do something
that will bring in money. 1t is women who
have not been so brought up who are prac-
tically helpless, because they are not ready
to do the work that they can. There is
always work to be had somehow and some
where. You must supply something that
the market calls for. Women who want to
write are making places for themselves in
newspaper work, for instance. Women
reporters are the best interviewers
going, and ] am not saying, you
must not so understand me, that there
is no chance at all for new writer
to succeed. There have been too many
recent successes for that. / remember the
first letters | received from Mrs. Burnett.
She began to write at just about the time
that / became an editor. | believe in
women's work. They do good work, but so
long as there is no international copyright
it is bitter struggle for man or woman
either If it is a question of bread and but
ter, one had better scrub floors or sweep
them and DO it SO energetically as to COM
mand something better in the end"
"And your word of advice to would-be
story writers isP'
Don't write if you can help it. If you
have God-given talent that compels you,
if you are over-mastered, write your best
and an audience may read sometime"
ELIZA PUTNAM HEAToN.